1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a holder for medical devices, and more particularly, to a holder for pipettes suitable for use in micro-manipulation techniques, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
2. Background Information
With the continuous advances of modern medicine, there is an ongoing need for increasingly smaller medical devices that are suitable for carrying out medical techniques on a micro scale not previously possible. With the advent of increasingly smaller devices, there is a corresponding increase in the number of micro portions of the devices, micro size accessories, and/or micro scale containers suitable for safely housing the devices and/or accessories. Notwithstanding the small scale of these micro size devices, accessories, etc., the need to maintain the structural strength and integrity, and the cleanliness and sterility of the devices has not diminished. In fact, due to the small size of such devices and the increasing sophistication of medical diagnostic and treatment instrumentation, in many cases the need for protection against breakage and/or contamination of micro devices is greater than with larger devices.
As a part of this trend toward micro-medicine, the use of small diameter pipettes that are suitable for aspirating and/or delivering very small volumes has dramatically increased. One example of a field of medicine that has experienced an increased use of such micro-size pipettes is the field of fertility treatment. Pipettes used in this field, commonly referred to as denuding pipettes, are typically used in micro treatment techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). These fields, and others, continue to grow as more sophisticated micro-manipulation techniques are developed.
For example, in order to carry out ICSI, a single sperm is directly injected, under microscopic vision, into the cytoplasm of an oocyte. In order to prepare for this injection, the single sperm must be isolated, and aspirated into a microinjection pipette. Another pipette is used to hold the oocyte in position as the sperm is injected into the cytoplasm. Prior to injection, a denuding pipette then is used to denude the cumulus mass from the oocyte. It would not be possible to perform such delicate manipulation techniques without the use of reliable micro-scale devices.
Generally, denuding pipettes of the type described above are housed in containers that are designed to hold a multiplicity of such pipettes. The holder often has a common size, even when pipettes of different lengths are to be housed therein. Alternatively, numerous pipettes of a particular length may be housed in a container more suitable for pipettes of a different length. Given the fragile nature of such pipettes, and particularly the fragile nature of the tapered pipette tips, it would be preferred to house them in a container having a housing compartment specifically sized for pipettes of a specified length. In this way, unnecessary movement of the pipettes within the container can be minimized.
In addition to the foregoing, existing housings for micro-size pipettes are often structured in a manner such that the pipettes may contact and rest against the side walls of the container. After a period of time, and pursuant to movement of the pipettes within the holder, static electricity builds up in the housing and along the outer surface of the pipettes due to contact between the pipettes and the wall of the housing. Such static electricity can be disconcerting to the physician or other medical professional upon removal of a charged pipette from the container, and can result in multiple pipettes clinging to each other. It would be preferred to provide a housing containing features that minimize or eliminate the presence or formation of static electricity within the housing.
Existing micro-size pipette holders also often contain a screw-cap or like structure that is removed when a pipette is to be removed from the container. When the container holds a plurality of pipettes, the medical professional may inadvertently touch and/or withdraw more than one pipette during the removal of a single pipette. This undesired touching and/or removal of a pipette can introduce contamination into the container. Due to the very small size of such pipettes, even a small amount of contamination can be problematic when the pipette is later used in a medical procedure. In order to minimize the possibility of contamination, it would be preferred to minimize, or eliminate entirely, the possibility of removal of more than one pipette from a container at a time.
It is desired to provide a holder for a medical device, such as a micro-size pipette, that avoids the problems encountered with prior art holders. In particular, it is desired to provide a holder for pipettes that reduces the possibility of breakage of the pipettes, that reduces or eliminates the build-up of static electricity in the holder, and that is structured such that only a single pipette is exposed to the exterior environment upon removal of a pipette from the holder. It is particularly desired to provide such a holder for use with denuding pipettes.